Royse City's Wat Lao Siribuddhavas Temple opens doors to celebrate

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Matthew Busch/DMN Staff Photographer

From right, Julie Vilaylack, Destiny Phabmixay, Nola Phonkaseumsouk, Breanna Lee, Amber Phothisaraj, Vanyda Boulom, and Tiffany Boone take the stage during the Miss Lao New Year pageant during Lao New Year at Wat Lao Siribuddhavas on April 19.

Five Buddhist monks wrapped in tangerine-colored robes loaded into a golf cart before joining a parade to celebrate Lao New Year on April 20.

Wat Lao Siribuddhavas in Royse City is one of several temples in North Texas that primarily serves the Laotian community. Wat Lao Siribuddhavas honored Lao New Year starting with a packed pageant on April 19, complete with dancing. People descended upon the temple again the next day for worship, food and a festival.

Ayaka Matsuno visited the temple for the first time Sunday with her daughter and mother-in-law. Matsuno, who is Japanese, said the temple is similar to the one she was married in while living in Thailand.

“I had no idea a temple like this existed here,” Matsuno said. “I feel like we’re back in Thailand.”

Monks sitting in front of a golden statue of the Buddha led the congregation in prayers, which were spoken in Pali, the classical language of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Members of the temple follow Theravada, which is widely regarded as the oldest surviving school of Buddhism, and is practiced in Southeast Asia.

“They still strictly follow the old, original doctrine,” said Leck Keovilay, a temple board member from Fate.

Organizers said Wat Lao Siribuddhavas was founded in a mobile home in Irving around 1983. It moved to its current location, 2772 Blackland Road, in 1996.

Keovilay said the fellowship, religious halls and garden sit on more than 35 acres of property. He said he estimated that more than 3,000 people attended the two-day celebration.

For Bounma Phothisaraj, the observance of Lao New Year is a reminder of the home she left behind.

The Garland resident said she fled Laos as a child with her family around the time of the communist takeover in 1975. She said she was scared, but soon a Catholic church sponsored their move to Texas.

“Everyone here pretty much has the same story,” Phothisaraj said. She said that’s part of of the reason why the close-knit community came in large numbers to celebrate the Year of the Horse. “This is the best joy for all of us because Laotian people, we don’t forget being friends and family.”

Her daughter Felicia Phothisaraj, 19, said she enjoys the traditions at the temple.

“It’s good to give to others,” Felicia Phothisaraj said. “Every Sunday that’s what we do. They make food, and we all eat together.”

Bounma Phothisaraj and her daughters wore traditional silk sashes and brought bowls full of snacks to donate to the temple. Members lined up on either side of the hall to drop off their contributions. Women in yellow outfits danced in front of the fellowship hall before taking off around the drive with floats following behind them. Some featured painted dragons or cut-out horses, and teenagers who played around by spraying each other with shaving cream.

As the lunch wrapped up in the hall, people streamed out and swarmed booths selling sweet and salty treats.

The food is always a selling point for Von and Kay Linavong. The Allen couple said they go to the celebrations at all of the local temples.

“We don’t normally get this [food] so we come and gorge until next year,” Kay Linavong said.

They said the most important part of attending the event is helping the community, but for their 9-year-old son, Auston, it would probably be seeing his friends.

“We play in the park — shoot water guns at each other,” Auston said.

Sam Hansana, a Fort Worth resident, said the water fights are symbolic in Lao New Year.

“The evil gets inside you, and you’ve got to put water on that and get the bad things away,” Hansana said. “Whatever passed is past. Now we go to the future — start new.”

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